One Night in Ithaca
by skygirl55
Summary: An AU ending twist for Cops & Robbers. Caskett. One-Shot


**One Night in Ithaca**

An AU twist on the ending of Cops & Robbers - Prompt by Lou (InkyCoffee) at the end

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Detective Beckett. If we'd known that-"

"No, no; it's fine." Kate Beckett bushed off the apology of Lead Detective Andrew Grant of the Ithaca PD. "It's only one night; we'll be fine."

The man wrinkled his brow, glanced between the woman and the man she'd called her partner, who stood a few feet away speaking on his cell phone, and asked, "Are you really sure? I'm sure there has to be another hotel room around here somewhere, further from the hospital, I can-"

"Honestly, Detective Grant; it's fine. We're just need to catch a few hours of sleep before we drive back first thing tomorrow morning; don't even think twice about it."

Given all that had happened that day, Kate was convinced she'd be able to sleep standing up that night so a room at a cheap motel just a stone's throw from the hospital would seem practically luxurious. Over her career with the NYPD she'd camped out in some pretty unusual places and had managed to sleep in each of them. Considering that her writer friend had been known to nod off in the chair by her desk after a particularly trying day, she wasn't worried about his opinion too much, though she hoped he wasn't too much of a diva about the thread-count (or lack thereof) they were about to experience, but she'd just tell him to deal with it.

She reached out and took the hotel room key that Detective Grant offered with her left hand and then shook his hand with her right, thanking him again for his assistance and hospitality. Then, as he walked back towards his cruiser, she did the same with the car she'd taken out of the motor pool. Thankfully, she'd had the forethought to grab her spare "go bag" out of her desk drawer as she and Castle headed out the door. It didn't have much in it, but it was certainly better than nothing.

Slinging the bag over one shoulder, Kate leaned her hip against the car and waited for her partner to finish his conversation. She glanced down at her watch and saw that it was ten after one in the morning and the hour shocked her not for its lateness, but reasonableness. So much had happened that day it felt more like two or three had passed instead.

Clearly, a day that started off with her partner and his mother being involved in an active hostage scenario would have been a memorable one, but the tale of Ron Brandt and his former family had more twists and turns than even her creative-minded partner could have imagined. Thankfully, the Ithaca PD had arrived just in time to prevent Tanya and Conner from suffering a tragic fate and Ron Brandt was on his way to where he belonged: prison.

Though Esposito had initially volunteered himself and his partner to retrieve the rescued individuals and bring them home to their family, and ill-conceived game of Ro-Sham-Bo as they made their way towards the elevator left Kate and Castle taking their place. The writer had still been riding his high of aiding in the case while still a hostage (making him, in his words, the perfect partner), and had been trying to win even more praise from the detective duo when in the end he lost himself dinner at home with his family—and Kate, but considering they'd then spent four hours in the car together chatting about dozens of different things, Kate very much doubted he still felt like the "loser."

Just as her legs were beginning to ache from weariness, Castle ended his call and walked over to her with a smile. "Say goodnight to Alexis?" she guessed based on the bits of the conversation she'd overheard.

He bobbed his head and slipped his phone down into his blazer's breast pocket. "Yep. She's a worrier, you know."

"I do know; I saw it today."

He pressed his lips together briefly as though her comment had riled up his inner turmoil once more and then offered her a softened gaze while he said, "Thank you—for being there for her; I know it meant a lot."

"Oh I don't know about that…" Alexis had been rather terse with her—not that Kate could blame her. Had the situation been reversed, Kate was certain she would have reacted similarly. Still, she felt compelled to reassure the girl as best she could for the event caused echoes of her mother's death to filter through her mind. She had been just barely a year older than Alexis when—no. No, she wouldn't dwell on it. She needed to sleep and if she dredged up her mother's case within her mind she never would.

"I'm sure that it did because you mean a lot to all of us."

His kind comment pushed all negative thoughts from her mind so Kate smiled and held up the hotel room key. "Thank you—now let's get some rest."

The writer trailed after her, holding out his hand. "Is that key mine?"

"No, actually." She huffed out a breath, stopping in front of the door to room five as indicated on the key. "The motel only had one room left and it's all the IPD could scrounge up for us this late. Apparently there's some convention in town—something with dolls? I don't know; he wasn't really clear. Point is: there's only one room available this close to the hospital."

"Oh. Well, that's okay, there are probably two beds and we can just—oh." The writer's voice dropped off when Kate opened the door to reveal a room that clearly had at one point had two beds for there were two separate headboards affixed to the wall several feet apart. The carpet also had the ghostly remnants of a bedframe imprinted in it; however, only one mattress existed within the room.

"Yeah." Well, that was definitely a fitting twist for the end of their already exhausting day.

Her eyelids feeling like they were weighted down with twenty pound dumbbells, Kate stepped into the room, let her bag fall to the floor, and merely stared dumbly at the space that had clearly not been updated in the prior three decades. As the exhaustion poured over her she was honestly not sure of the best way to remedy their situation. Fortunately, the writer still seemed to have his wits about him.

"You know what? It's fine. You can just take the room and-"

"No, Castle." His selfless suggestion felt like a cattle prod tapping at the base of her spine and she turned her body towards him quickly. "You—you can have the bed."

"Beckett, it's late and you drove all the way up here so-"

"Castle," she began, half exasperated. "You blew up today—literally."

"Well not _literally_ or I'd be dead."

She grumbled at his need to correct her misuse of the word. "Castle; don't argue. You sleep in here—I'll just catch a few hours in the car; won't be the first time. Just give me a few minutes in the bathroom and I'll-"

"Kate," Castle began in that soft, gentle baritone that always made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He reached out and delicately placed his fingertips atop her shoulder and said in a rare serious moment, "I'm absolutely not going to let you sleep in the car. You're the detective; this room is meant for you. I'll just…call a cab and I'm sure there's got to be one more room in this city even if it's on the other side. You can just swing by and pick me up in the morning and-"

"No—no." She shook her head and skimmed her fingertips across her brow. "This is so silly. We can just…just…"

"Share?" he offered when she clearly could not utter the word.

Feeling her cheeks heat at the mere suggestion, Kate tried her best to ignore the feeling and nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, share. Of course we can share."

"Totally can share."

"We're adults."

"Adults."

"And it's fine."

"Perfectly fine."

"Good." Kate concluded.

Yeah, sure, absolutely—she could totally share a bed with this man, her partner, who half a year earlier professed his love to her which subsequently terrified her and sent her into hiding for months. Sharing a bed would not at all add a new layer of complication to their already intricate partnership; it would be totally, one hundred percent fine. Normal, even.

 _Right._

Castle stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind him. They stood awkwardly a foot apart before he lifted his right arm, pointed across the room and said, "Ah, ladies first into the bathroom?"

"Ah, okay; thanks, I'll be—oh." She cut off her thought process when her fingers closed around the handles of her dropped bag. Yes, she had a fresh shirt, change of undergarments, a pair of jeans, and some travel-sized toiletries in her bag—enough to make it through one night—but what about her companion?

"Hold on," she said, scurrying quickly to the bathroom to examine the countertop. Seeing as their motel advertised air conditioning and free cable as the amenities on its signage along with a low weekly rate, she was not surprised that complimentary toiletries were not provided. Honestly, they were lucky they had a bar of soap by the sink.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Kate slid her hands down into her pants pockets. "So I'm guessing you don't have a toothbrush in your pocket."

He laughed loudly. "Um, no. That's okay; I can be gross for one night."

Cringing, Kate said, "Maybe the front desk has something? I'll go check."

"You don't have to."

"I don't mind; just sit tight."

"Actually," he began, gesturing towards the bathroom. "Mind if I hop in the shower real quick? I still feel like I'm covered in soot from the bank."

"No, go for it. I'll be back shortly."

"Okay."

"Okay," she echoed while giving him a 'thumbs up.' Then, as she turned towards the exit of the hotel room she mentally slapped herself and shook her head trying to rid her mind of the embarrassing incident. A thumbs up? What wat she thinking? God, how had they suddenly become awkward teenage chemistry lab classmates working on a group project instead of seasoned partners? What a mess!

* * *

Half an hour later, Kate walked out of the bathroom and switched off the light with her elbow while rubbing lotion on her hands. After the initial awkwardness of deciding to share the lone bed left in the motel, Kate felt she and her partner had returned to their usual rhythm. He brushed his teeth with the toothbrush she procured while she pulled off the stiff polyester bed quilt and arranged their pillows. Then, she took her turn while he settled into the bed. Now, as the clock inched closer to two a.m. all she wanted to do was collapse in bed and get a few hours of sleep to feel rested enough to drive all the way back to Manhattan.

"I, ah, I'm lying on top of the sheet for you."

"Wha—oh." She froze mid-way to the bed when she saw that he was wearing only his boxers and t-shirt and laying atop the sheet with his only his feet and shins tucked beneath the quilt of questionable cleanliness. "No, Castle—that's not at all necessary; just make yourself comfortable."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

This was not the nineteen-fifties; they did not make sure that no parts of their body came in contact with one another during the night in order to preserve her purity. Such a notion was as insane back then as it was in that moment. She had no problem sharing the sheets with him then since in her mind it was more of inevitability. Yes, their timeframe had been amplified but what did it matter? She was certainly too exhausted to think about anything more salacious than an innocent brushing of their hands during the night.

Kate walked over to the side of the bed that defaulted to hers and reached for the sheet only to feel a tug beneath her armpit. For once, it was not her scar restricting her, but the actual fabric of her shirt. That particular button-down was quite fitted, as was the one packed in her bag for the following day. Neither would be comfortable to sleep in. If anything, they'd hinder her rest, which meant her only option was to sleep in her bra.

"Something wrong?"

Kate flicked her gaze upwards to meet that of her partner. "I, ah, I guess I'm going to sleep in just my bra but, um…would mind-"

"Say no more." He cut her off before making a show of shutting his eyes and rolling away from her.

Kate grazed her teeth over her bottom lip and froze with her fingertips hovering over the topmost button of her shirt. Silly—it was silly. Her bra covered no less than a bikini top would—more, depending on the bikini. And though she would not put it past her companion to make a comment involving some sort of double-entendre, she was not concerned about skin exposure in front of him as much as she was concerned about what skin was being exposed. Specifically—her scar.

The angry red knot between her breasts was still not something she was comfortable revealing to anyone outside of the medical profession. Her feelings did not come from a position of vanity, but more from an emotional one. She was still trying to process and accept the events of that day and, until she did so, she wished to keep the scar under wraps.

After quickly shedding her top, Kate slid into bed and scooted down enough so that the scratchy edge of the sheet covered her up to her collar bones. She punched the pillow beneath her head, arranging it as best she could for comfortable sleep, and then slid both of her arms beneath the sheet while saying, "Okay—thanks."

Castle turned his head halfway in her direction. "All good?"

"Yep."

"Great I'll just-"

"Castle?" She stopped him when she saw his left arm halfway extended towards the bedside light-switch. From that vantage point she could just barely see the red scratch lining the inside of his forearm—the only mark he'd received from the incident earlier that day. All things considered, he was wildly lucky to have escaped with such an insignificant wound, but seeing it did serve as a reminder of just how close she'd come to losing him.

"Yeah?"

"I…I just—oh, you can open your eyes now," she said when she realized he'd turned his head towards her, but she could not see the sparkling blue color that usually reflected back at her. He did so and propped himself up with his forearm as he gazed at her curiously.

"Today, when I was outside the bank and the explosion happened. I…there were a solid thirty seconds there when I thought that you might have-" She cut herself off sharply, unable to say the words; unable to think them.

Kate imagined she would remember that moment for decades to come. The concussion of the bomb slamming into her chest; the sound loud enough to fill her ears with a ringing tone even an hour later. It felt like a horrible nightmare from which she fought to awake, but when she stepped out of the command center vehicle and saw street filled with smoke and debris the reality became almost too crushing to bear. In one moment—in one tiny seconds—she could have lost him— _him!_ Her partner, her friend, her—well, they weren't there yet, not quite, but he had said he loved her, and she knew that she felt the same. She wasn't ready yet to say the words, but with everything that had happened, she could not let the moment pass without letting him know as much as she could say.

Clearing her throat, Kate continued. "What I'm trying to say is you're very important to me, Castle. I think you know that—I hope you know that, but you are and after a day like today, I wanted to make sure I said it."

He smiled, soft and easy, the subtle glint returning to his eyes as he gazed at her. "You're important to me too, Kate."

Satisfied with this, she nodded and snuggled her head a bit tighter against the pillow. "Goodnight, Castle."

A moment later, the light switched off and the last thing she heard was his sigh. "'night, Beckett."

* * *

The following morning, Castle stirred awake despite fighting to stay asleep as best he could. He grumbled and shifted his head against his pillow, the scratchy fabric beneath his cheek his first sign that he was not in his own bed. He tried to shift his shoulders as well in an attempt to become more comfortable, but found he could not because his torso was weighted down with something warm and soft that smelled sweet—just like…cherries?

Oh god.

Castle's eyes popped open and the dated motel room came slowly into view. It was definitely after dawn from the way a dim light filtered in through the window, but probably not by much. He lifted his head a few inches and saw that Kate had snuggled against him in the night to the point where her head was resting just above his armpit and one of her hands was curled into a loose fist resting atop his belly.

Despite the less than pristine atmosphere of the motel room around him, Castle quickly found himself to be the happiest he'd been in ages. Kate Beckett was snuggled against him—snuggled!—and he never wanted to move. Ever. He would live and die in that musty hotel room if only it meant he could live out the remainder of his days with her curled in his embrace.

Barely a moment later he heard her hum and grumble something. Fearing she would wake up and have a negative reaction, Castle held his breath and refused to move his body even a millimeter. He felt like prey hiding from its hunter, but he couldn't help himself; he didn't want to offset the balance. He shut his eyes on the off chance she would lift her head and simply waited.

Kate began to stir beside him, moving her legs until something—a knee, he guessed—came in contact with his thigh. He heard her breath in sharply, felt her head lift an inch and braced himself for her wrath or movement—neither of which he would enjoy—but neither came. Instead, she lowered her head back down and moved her hand on his belly so it was tucked closer to her face, thus meaning she was consciously aware of their snuggling but doing nothing to actively prevent it.

Success!

More than a little pleased with himself, Castle let out his breath nice and slow and squeezed his arm a bit tighter around her shoulders out of pure instinct, not even thinking it would cause her to realize he was awake too until he felt her torso stiffen under his arm. Shit!

For ten seconds he went back to holding his breath, waiting for her to slide away, but she did not, instead he heard very faintly, "Are you awake?"

He considered not responding for a moment and pretending to be asleep, but ultimately didn't want to lie so he merely hummed, "Mmm."

"Do you want me to move?"

"Not even an inch," he replied honestly.

"Okay." She agreed and then tucked her head more into the crook of his neck and drifted quickly back to sleep.

* * *

When Castle awoke the second time that morning, the room was brighter, and he could hear the sound of rushing water coming from the bathroom. He yawned and sat up, slightly disappointed that the other side of the bed was vacant, but thrilled all the same since he now had one hundred percent confirmation: Kate Beckett was a snuggler.

He was still grinning from the realization when she stepped out of the bathroom and let out a huff as she folded her arms over her chest. "Well…we definitely won't be able to get coffee here."

"Why's that?" he asked before yawning again. Yeah, he definitely needed some coffee.

"Because the water coming out of the tap is murky and smells weird."

The writer wrinkled his nose. "Ew."

She mirrored his expression. "Yeah. That's okay—I think there was a Dunkin' Donuts a block away from the hospital that we passed on the way in."

He swung his feet around to the floor and reached for his pants. "Okay, sounds good; just need a minute and then we can be on our way."

When he emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, Castle raked his hands back through his hair in a continued attempt to flatten down the cowlicks caused by sleep and gazed across the room to see his companion meticulously repacking the bag she'd grabbed before they'd left the precinct. She folded her old panties into her button-down and rolled them together before placing them in the bag. He very much doubted she realized he was behind her, but he was glad. He liked this domesticity between them. It didn't feel forced or awkward, but natural—like it had when they awoke that morning.

After the rough half year they'd just had Castle though he knew more or less where they stood. He was in love with her and he believed at least a part of her loved him too, but she needed time—time to heal, time to be ready for their relationship to take that next level. As he had already been waiting quite some time, he had no problem waiting longer; she was unquestionably worth it. However, moments like those made him impatient. He wanted her—god, did he want her—and he simply couldn't help himself from giving their relationship a little nudge in the right direction.

"I, ah, just wanted to say that last night was nice; thanks for letting me share the bed."

She turned towards him and looked amused. "Really, Castle? I imagine you'd been in hotels ten times the quality of this one as of late."

He gave a small shrug since he could not argue to the contrary, but that was not at all his point. "I mean, I enjoyed sleeping beside you—in—in a totally appropriate way." He added quickly when her brow rose. "Not that anything was inappropriate or could have been inappropriate. I just—I enjoyed it a totally normal amount. Sleeping, I mean."

 _God_. He practically shuddered with embarrassment when he finally managed to stop his own stammering. How had he become so dreadful at the English language?

"I see," Kate said in an even tone.

Despite himself, he continued. "I just…I meant…maybe sometime if we…happen to be on a case out of town and there happens to be only one hotel room available we could…do it again."

She nodded and shouldered her bag, walking towards the hotel room exit; he followed closely behind. "Sounds like a plan. Or we could just do it at your apartment."

"WHAT—ow! Shit!" Castle cursed when the edge of the door collided with his nose and forehead causing white sparks to shoot across his vision. He'd been so thrown off by her comment that his hand reaching out to grab the door missed its mark and instead the door slammed back into his face.

"Oh god, are you okay?"

He winced at he rubbed carefully at the bridge of his nose. _Damn_. That was definitely going to leave a mark. "I'm…fine."

"Are you really?"

He looked up to see her face wrought with concern. He blinked a few times, trying to get the tears in his eyes to dissipate and then confessed rather pathetically, "I'm trying to be manly about it, but that really hurt."

She stepped back and rubbed his arm in a way that was surprisingly not patronizing. Then, curling her fingers around one of his elbows, she led him towards her parked cruiser. "I'm sure it did. And you don't have to worry, Castle. I've seen you being unmanly before and it doesn't change how I think about you."

Castle stopped dead in his tracks and gazed down at her. His heart thundering in his chest considering the comment she'd just made about their future bed-sharing, he asked, "And how's that?"

She shot him a grin over her shoulder and continued walking towards the car. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

Lou's Prompt: What if Caskett went to Ithaca at the end of Cops & Robbers instead of Ryspo

Thanks for reading!


End file.
